Mr. Collette is a well-known and reputable Canadian public servant with a distinguished 37 year career with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), as well as, other federal public service sectors.

Mr. Collette's career culminated with his most recent appointment to the Swiss Federal Council with concurrent accreditation to the Principality of Liechtenstein in 2005. In addition to his appointment as Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Mr. Collette was also: Canada's Chief of Protocol; Personal Representative of the Prime Minister of Canada for La Francophonie; Canada's Ambassador to the Philippines; Minister (Commercial) and Deputy Head of Mission, Canadian Embassy, Beijing, China; DFAIT's Director, Africa and Middle East Trade and Investment; DFAIT's Director, Investment and Science and Technology; and DFAIT's Deputy Director, Western Europe Trade, Investment and Science and Technology.

Mr. Collette's professional career included the following highlights: Seven years as Canada's Ambassador to the Philippines and Switzerland; Two Years as Canada's Chief of Protocol; Fourteen years as a Trade Commissioner; Ten years with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), including two postings in Kuala Lumpur and Yaounde; 18 years of experience living and working 'on-the-ground', in developing and developed countries (Malaysia, Cameroon, China, Philippines, Switzerland and Italy); and, Extensive experience as a Manager of human and financial resources.